Job Description
This role involves designing and developing the core behavior planning system for autonomous vehicles, enabling safe and intelligent decision-making in complex environments, while collaborating with cross-functional teams and providing technical leadership.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, implement, and maintain the core behavior planning system for autonomous vehicles.
- Develop and extend behavior tree architectures for hierarchical decision logic.
- Collaborate with motion planning, prediction, and control teams to ensure seamless decision-to-action transitions.
- Build and optimize C-based software infrastructure for behavior planning, including tools for simulation, debugging, and testing.
- Evaluate planner performance in real-world and simulated environments to identify failure modes and improve robustness.
- Participate in system design reviews and integrate behavior planning within the full autonomy stack.
- Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and architectural guidance to junior team members.
Requirements
- Ph.D. with 3 years or Master’s with 5 years of industry experience in robotics, autonomous systems, or behavior planning
- Proven experience in behavior planning, including use of behavior trees, finite state machines, or rule-based planners in autonomous driving or robotics applications
- Strong proficiency in C programming language with a deep understanding of performance, memory management, and software architecture in production systems
- Solid understanding of motion planning and prediction interfaces, with experience building real-time, safety-critical systems
- Ability to design, implement, and maintain the core behavior planning system for autonomous vehicles, enabling safe and intelligent decision-making in complex real-world scenarios
- Experience developing and extending behavior tree architectures for hierarchical decision logic, including support for mission planning, tactical maneuvers, and contingency handling
- Experience building real-time, safety-critical systems in robotics or autonomous vehicle applications
- Ability to evaluate planner performance in diverse real-world and simulated environments, identify failure modes, and develop strategies to improve robustness and generalization
- Experience collaborating across teams such as motion planning, prediction, and control to ensure seamless transition from high-level decisions to executable trajectories
- Participation in design reviews and system integration across the full autonomy stack
- Ability to provide technical leadership, mentorship, and architectural guidance for junior team members
Benefits & Perks
Salary Range: 180,000-260,000 USD
Work schedule: Onsite 5 days a week at Mountain View, CA
Work environment perks: Collaborative culture emphasizing respect, agility, diversity, and inclusion
Additional benefits: Opportunities for technical leadership, mentorship, and professional growth in autonomous vehicle technology
Ready to Apply?
Join Gatik and make an impact in renewable energy
Stay Updated on Sustainability Jobs
Get the latest renewable energy jobs and career tips delivered to your inbox.
Job Alerts
Get notified about new sustainability jobs
More at Gatik
More jobs at Gatik
Senior Staff Software Engineer Localization Visual Odometry
Gatik
Mountain View
Full Time
Dec 25
$170k-260k
Senior Staff Software Engineer, Localization
Gatik
Mountain View
Full Time
Dec 29
$180k-250k
Operations G A Recruiter Contract to Hire
Gatik
Mountain View
Full Time
Jan 2
More jobs in Mountain View, California
Senior Software Engineer, Machine Learning, Calibration
Nuro
Mountain View
Full Time
Dec 17
$194k-291k
Staff Software Engineer - Data Curation
Aurora
Mountain View
Full Time
Nov 25
$189k-303k
Senior Staff Software Engineer, Behavior Verification
Nuro
Mountain View
Full Time
Dec 22
$176k-320k